Method of manufacturing molded mottled articles



July 25, 1933. C H WOODRUFF 1,920,120

METHOD OF MANUFACTURING MOLDED MOTTLED ARTICLES Filed Feb. 15, 1930 MTNEJS ar p 5 5 Patented July 25, 1933 i PATENT OFFICE CARLTON HULBERT W'QQDRUFF, OF AUBURN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNCR TO AUBURN BUTTON WORKS, IIIQ, F AUBURN, NEVJ YORK, A CGRPOR-ATION OF NEW YORK v METHOD or iviannsecruarne MoLnEn ivrorrrlnn ARTICLES .Application. filed February 15, 1930.- Serial no. 423,735.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in the method of mak ing molded mottled articles and to the product produced thereby.

The main object of the invention is the production of a molded multi colored article of improved. appearance, the variedfcoloring' being either of irregular arrangement or following a predeterminedstencil or pattern with reasonable accuracy or in substantial accordance for the purpose this application the'term molded mottled article is deemed to cover either such arrangementof varied colors.

A further object resides in the production of a more homogeneous integral article by utilizing for the coloring material, or for its incorporator the same kind ofmaterial of which the base portion of the article is formed. 7

A further object resides in the provision of a process for producing such articles which is comparativelysimple, can becar of suitable material for formingthe base of a molded article.

Figures 2, 3 and l illustrate sheets or thin layers of material which have been impregnated with the same sort of material of which the pre-form of Figure 1 is made, but adapted to be of dilierent color if the sheets themselves are not otherwise colored or provided with designs. 7

Figures 5 and 6 illustrate the molding of a pre'form as illustrated in Figure l simultaneously with an impregnated sheet of material, as illustrated in Figs. 2, 3 and 42.

Figure 7 illustrates a product as produced by this invention.

The invention of this application is adapted to be carried out in connection with the various materials of which molded ar- .ticles are forned, particularly in connection with molding under heat and pressure, and

although the invention is more especially deslgned for use 111 connection with phenohe compounds such as bakellte, and for the purpose of illustration will be so described in this application, it is, however, usabler withshellac thermoplastic compounds, va-

rious other gums, celluloid, etc. ordinarily w used in the molding of various articles such as buttons, knobs, ashtrays, containers, etc. The descrlption of this application as to the use of this invention in connection with phenolic compounds is deemed illustrative ofv the application of the invention to the various other substances or materials used in producing such molded articles.

The drawing illustrates theinvention as particularly applied to a bfuttom and for producing such articlethere 1s orlglnally provided a pre-form or pellet 1 of suitable size and form for producing the desired article, and which in this instance consists of a phenolic compound such as bakelite powder pressed into the shape of the pre-form 1.

The bakelite pellet l is of the color desired for the body'of the article to be molded, and in order to apply toone surface of this base materialnvh'en molded, a mottled coloring either irregularly arranged or along the line of a Inedetermined design, lithograph or the like, there is provided a strip of material, either the strip 2 illustrated in Figure 2, the strip 3 illustrated in Figure 8, or the strip illustrated in Fi ure 4, which is first impreg nated with a liquid phenolic compound of the same character as'the material constituting the pellet 1, but of a desired different 7 color when the paper is not colored or provided with a design.

The strip impregnated with the phenolic material such as bakelite lacquer is then placed in the dies 6 and 7 in contact with one surface of the pre-form 1. These dies are ordinarily heated, and this may be effected in any suitable and well known manner not herein necessary to illustrate or describe.

7 It may bepreferable to arrange die-section 7 as the upper section and die-section 6 as the lower section, although the arrangement and form of the dies is not an essential feature of this invention.

. hen pressure is applied to bring the diesections 6 and 7 together, the heat in the usual manner softens the powdered material of the pellet and the material with which the sheet 2, 8, or l is impregnated, and as the two materials are the same or of substantially the same character, they are capable of uniting to forma homogenous integral unitary article.

' It is found that when pressure is applied, the material of the pellet can be caused to spread out in the die and cause a cracking and breaking up of the material of'the sheet 2, 3,01 4, which causes the production of somewhat irregular openings in the sheet, and the'base material of pellet l'is forced upwardly as at 15, Figure 7 to fill these 0 aenin 's so that it is eX osed u on the surface 'of the button which also consists of the broken-up separated parts of the impregnated sheet and thedifferent Colored mate rial carried thereby. Forxthis reason, al-

though it may be preferable to providethe b the combination of the broken-upsec tions of the stencil 4;.

The sheets 2, 3 and 4 may perhaps preferably be formed of paper orwood fibre, or; some reasonably brittle gmaterial Which breaks up under pressure of the dies,although fabric may be used. V It may be desirableawhere. an unperforated sheet such-as sheet 3Vis'provided for impregnation with the same sort of material used forthe base of the article, to Weaken such sheet alongpredetermined lines as ,il-

lustrated at 18, sothat itwill havea tend:

ency to break up'along the weakened lines and produce a somewhat irregular mottled design. 7 i o Further, under certain conditions oit i's found preferable to provide a sheet of paper,

cloth, silk, or the like, such asshown 1n Figure 3 and provide it with a lithograph color-printed or otherwise produced design of'desired shape and desired color or colors, and then impregnate the sheet with the same kind of material of which the base of the article is tobe formed and of the same or adiiferent' color as may be desired. 'This sheet is then placed in the mold in the same manner as heretofore described in connection with the pre-form and it is possible to subject the pre-form and the impregnated sheet to pressure and heat without breaking up the impregnated sheet, so that the latter becomes the paper inlaid under the surface the exact design produced upon the paper sheet, and this invention contemplates either the use of a perforated sheet of paper or similar material, a stencil sheet or an unperforated sheet, any one of whlch may have produced upon them a suitably colored design and may-then be impregnated with material, such as bakelite lacquer of the same color as the material of which the base of the articleis to be formed or of a different color if desired. 7

Figure Tillustratesa sort of mottled design-as applied tothe face side of a button, but is only illustrative and not intended as limiting the invention in any way.

. Although the invention has been described in connection with a button as illustrative of an article to be produced andwith aphenolic' compound such as bakelite, as illustrative of a material to be used, these illustrations are utilized for the purpose of describing the invention as applied to an "article formed of a perhaps preferred substance, and which is deemed to illustrate the invention in its application to many and varied moldable substances 'as commonly 'used in'producing moldedarticles, and I do not herein desire to limtitxmyself to any particular articleor to any particular substance from which such article shall be formed except Where the same are specifically included in the claims hereto appended.

1 claim: I v V 1. The method of manufacturing molded articles from'phenolic compounds comprisin'g placing in a mold a body of the material to be'molded and asheet of paper impregnated with the same kind of materialbut of different color, such sheet overlying the body of "material and then subjecting the mateof the article and displaying substantially rials in the mold toheat and pressure whereby the materialto be molded is spread out, and the sheet of paper ruptured, and portions of the body of the material extend between separated parts of the paper sheet and are exposed at the surface of thearticle.

2. The methodof manufacturing molded articlesfrom plastics comprising placing in a mold a body of the material tobe molded and a thin rupturable sheet comprising vthe same kind of material but of dilferent color, such sheet overlying the body of material and then subjecting the materials in the mold to heat and pressure whereby the body of material is spread out and the sheetruptured and integrally united to the body of material, withportions of the said body of material extending between separated parts face of the article.

of the rupturedsheet and exposed at the sur- T III JCARLTON l-lULBERT woomwra I l 

